Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-23
ERR. WATTERsON's JOKE
0n Muraf IIaIs.c ID nnh the
world" 1T tl,e Same Time.

YR. GATTERS0N'S JOKE
Gn MUrat UaIs:c nd nnh the
world 1T tiie Same Time.
a Philadelphia telegram says: 81
don't know that can shy anything that
will be of interest said Henry Wat
tcrson to Philadelphia Times r.
potter, as he and John Russell Young
lid 7 nance for the Clover Clubs din
rcr over a bottle Of Engcr-ale in the
Un.on-I ea.ue Cafe friday. q have
shout worked myself dry in the col
umns If the to5utT-JOEW1i since /
returned from Europe, AID / have
taken q weeks holiday to give its read
re r,st. I think interviewing Il
uevspaper-man Is IKE carrying Goals b
Newcastle. Once In awhile, however,
Z think q good interview quite healthy
End always was OK an accommodating
DEPOSITION.
"a few years ago Murat Elalsteld,
Toracc y hit, and myself went to BOs-
ton t. hear Cart Scnurz deliver his ora
ton on Charles Sumner. II was right
after Summers death, and Mr.. Schurz
vas one Of our party. On our way
back to New York We picked up Sam
Iowlcs az 81 rincfeid, Mass, and he
accompanied us 10 New York, where
We Lad q little dinner party ct the Bra-
yoort Ncuso. Il lille the dinner was in
1roQrcss and tie most intricate pro
hcms Of National Government were
being solved. word was brought in that
representative OF the New York Uorif
desired 10 see Mr. Watterson.
81 went down into the hotel Office,
andthcro lcuuda little baldheade1 man.
who said lis name was OZiord lie
asked LIE if my name was Nattar5on
and promptly told him it VS. not.
POLITELY informed him that Mr. Waiter
son was engaged and could not be dis
tirbcd. told him my name was Hal
stead, ard expressed my willingness to
accommodate him if | could. Nr. Hl!-
stead was II that time agitating thecoiu-
rccof silycrand-well, ! int rvi, Yed Mr.
Oxford. ] denounced the silver bill in
unmcasHrad terms. Ispok vigorously
in favor Of increased gold coinaga, AMI
expressed tho opinion that greenoa"k
currency was the backbone Of financial
prosperity. / acclaimed against cen
Utilization, and declared in favor OF
tate rights. There was not an ex-
pressed opinion Of Mr. Halstead's ! dill
not reverse, and when the reporter left
me he was full up to the neck
With facts. The next day the II0ri{
he'd two-column interview with
Numt Halstoad that just made Mr..
Halstcad wish hc had never been bora.
he wrote TO the editor denying that he
mad scCl or spoken to . IyOrid reporter
or any4thcr reporter, and that the
whole interview Was a Fabrication. The
Ecud published his denial with the
following editorial comment: When |
HE U'of1 reporter interviewed Mr. |
Ea.atoed Yesterday Ir. Ealstead had |
Eat been dining with alr. Watterson.'
Fox q long time i expected Ha.stell to |
call nc ont but no finally iofgayc
me-"
A'r. Watt,rson and VI Young then |
compared notes about taeir carry eX-
pU.uce Gs reporters.
"Ihe fist piece OF reporting | did |
was for tornoy'a Pres,' sad Mr.
Young. 1T was an account Of the
reception of John bro. lody at IN |
old Liiadalplia, Wilmington, and Bal
Gmrc station. George Alfred Town-
send and / used t. DO Select and Com
mon Council for the Prc3s along in
1860 and 1861. J got 81 q week and |
Townsend got g.. Nat.erson wd-
Washington correspondent of the Pr.sS
at tie time end got about Sl)a week.
"Ycs; that's about TIE figure, slil |
Er. N'at,orsou; "anl / used to writ
some pretty good letters, too-letters
that were pretty extensively copied 81
over Gle country.
"Now, tie first editorial work | ever
did" added Mr. WGttouon, "was on
the GcToniaa, the official journal of |
the old Episcopal Academy, at Juniper
and 7 ocust streets. Old Or. Hare was
Of the Academy and charm
ing man he was, too. / had for assoc
Ciatcs Editors Ed. \. Benson, now pre-
-idcnt Of the Union League, and George
c. Thomes. OF tie firm OF DreXcl * Co.
Frank Mclaughlin printed the paper
in his printing-oihce in Third street, be-
tween Chestnut and Walnut streets.
That was in 1865 and 1856. ColOne!
Mcclure was at the time running the
ChambersbWg Iaticy Spirit, and was
not quite so famous an editor as he is
now
Mr.. WGtterson changed his drink and
resumed his "reminiscences THE
hardest work / ever lid" said he, "was
two months for ten dollars "A week, and
two months for fifteen dollars week
That four-months' work, however, ulti-
mately Noted me fifteen thousand dol
lars. 1t was right after the war, and |
vas employed rs editorial writer for the
Nashville Boancr, which had been com
plctely Frustrated by the war. l put
in the hardest work 1 over did in those
four months, aud built the paper up.
IN recognition of my services | was
presented with a one fourth interest in
the paper, which / afterwards sold for
fifteen thousand dollars.